Cats win third straight, 42-10 over Tennessee Tech
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The final two games of the season are suddenly huge for Kentucky.
After starting the season 2-5 and sparking a firestorm around the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC, the Wildcats have won three straight games to claw their way back to .500 and are now on the cusp of bowl eligibility.
Kentucky (5-5, 2-5 SEC) did so by taking care of business against Tennessee Tech, the No. 5 team in FCS and winners of 15 straight games dating back to last season, 42-10, on Senior Day at Kroger Field.
The Cats have two games remaining in the regular season, road trips to No. 13 Vanderbilt and the annual Governor’s Cup clash with No. 19 Louisville with a chance to reach their ninth bowl game in the last 10 years after missing out last season.
“A very good win for us,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. “I appreciate the team approaching the week the right way. We have talked about it all the time, continuing to play with great effort, continuing to try and improve in the execution. Doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we just gotta continue to worry about ourselves and continue to get better. I love this team’s attitude and effort.
“Now it’s on to the next one. We’ve been handling it with the mindset of one week at a time.”
Kentucky had a balanced offensive attack with 261 yards passing and 207 yards rushing. Redshirt freshman Cutter Boley completed 18 of 21 passes on a windy day in the Bluegrass, passing for one touchdown and rushing for another — a 30-yard scramble in the first quarter that energized the modest crowd at Kroger Field when he ran over the final Tennessee Tech defender near the goal line.
Boley’s favorite target was senior transfer Kendrick Law, who has become a major weapon in the second half of the season. He caught 11 passes for 124 yards against the Golden Eagles, and also added a 40-yard kickoff return to help set up a touchdown.
The backfield duo of Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan also had a strong day. Dowdell had 87 yards yards and a touchdown, while McGowan added 72 yards and scored three times.
Kentucky led 28-7 at halftime and was never truly threatened by Tennessee Tech (10-1, 7-0 OVC). The Golden Eagles entered the matchup averaging 45.2 points per game, which leads the FCS. They were held to 264 yards by the UK defense, which was missing several starters due to injuries.
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In our regular postgame feature, Cats Illustrated touches on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
GAME BALL:
Kendrick Law, Kentucky — The Cats’ senior transfer receiver had his most explosive day in a Kentucky uniform, catching 11 passes for 124 yards and returning a kickoff 40 yards just before halftime to help the Cats tack on another touchdown.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st – Career interception for Kentucky sophomore safety Cam Dooley.
5.3/12.4 – Average yards per rush and yards per completion by UK.
7 – Backups on the depth chart among the Wildcats’ top 11 tacklers.
11/11 – Targets and receptions for UK receiver Kendrick Law.
86% – Completion rate for UK quarterback Cutter Boley, who connected on 18 of his 21 pass attempts.
207 – Yards rushing by the Cats, including 87 from Dante Dowdell and 72 by Seth McGowan.
QUOTABLE:
“The next game is the next opportunity. We’re really focused on that. I challenged the guys (in the locker room) because they have brought it up. I was like, OK guys, let’s keep this in perspective and get ready to roll Monday. That’s the mentality we have to continue with.” — UK head coach Mark Stoops on having a chance to end the season strong.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky travels to Nashville next week for a clash with No. 13 Vanderbilt. The Commodores (8-2) had an open date today. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC or ESPN.